


heart fit to bursting

by SEMellark



Category: Free!
Genre: Drunken Shenanigans, Fluff, Friendship, Future Fic, M/M, Wedding Planning, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 02:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14322468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SEMellark/pseuds/SEMellark
Summary: His summers spent in Iwatobi are Haruka’s favorite part of the year. He takes a break from racing and paid appearances and just relaxes in the town he grew up in, safe and content in the old Nanase house, officially signed over to him and Makoto as a wedding gift from his parents.Makoto teaches classes with Coach Sasabe down at the old swim club, but for the most part, he and Haruka spend their time walking along the beach, caring for the neighborhood cats, and having more sex than they do during any other time of the year.Except for this particular summer, where they’re both busy helping Rei and Nagisa plan for their wedding.





	heart fit to bursting

**Author's Note:**

> I've recently been asked to be a maid of honor and have discovered the horrors of wedding planning.
> 
> But more importantly, I'm just excited for the third season. Thank you kyoani for always treating us right, amen.
> 
> Side note, most of my fics take place in a beautiful world where anti-same-sex marriage laws aren't a thing.
> 
> On with the train wreck.

Haruka and Rin spend their last night in America in their needlessly expensive hotel room, drunk on cheap wine and suffering through the worst of American reality shows because they’d lost the remote and couldn’t be bothered to look for it.

Haruka tunes out most of what’s happening since he still can’t understand spoken English very well, lounging around in his underwear and trying not to dwell on what a miserable drunk he can be. Traveling abroad is always amazing when it’s for the sake of swimming, but once that’s done, Haruka just feels like crap and wants to be home.

He wonders what Makoto would say if he found out Haruka had gotten drunk the night before their flight back to Tokyo. “I’m twenty-four,” Haruka argues to the ceiling. “I’m homesick, and I miss my husband. I’m allowed to make bad decisions.”

Rin makes a noise that sounds suspiciously outraged, and Haruka is content to ignore him until a too bright phone screen is being shoved in his face. “These fuckers finally fucking did it,” Rin slurs, persisting even when Haruka tries to shove him away. “No, _look_ , you idiot. We’re not even in the fucking country. _Haru._ We better be groomsmen, I’ll fuckin’ kill ‘em for this.”

Haruka snatches the phone away. He doesn’t get on Facebook unless he’s looking over Makoto’s shoulder, but he can recognize Nagisa’s page when he sees it, all the pink and sparkles and the icon of a penguin wearing a rainbow, butterfly bow-tie.

The most recent post is a life achievement. Or something. Fuck if Haruka knows. “Engaged,” he says, frowning at the screen. “God, this American alcohol is so weird.”

“No, it’s really there!” Rin insists, leaning over Haruka to stab at the screen with a finger. Haruka is immediately overcome by sadness that the chest in his face isn’t Makoto’s. “We can’t both be hallucinating the same thing, just look at all those comments!”

It’s true. As Haruka looks, it seems as if everyone has something to say about Nagisa and Rei’s apparent engagement, from their first year homeroom teacher to Sousuke and even Haruka’s parents.

“Holy shit,” Rin sighs, breathing alcohol-scented air into Haruka’s personal space, which is not at all appreciated. “We’re all getting so _old._ ”

Haruka pushes him away and laughs when Rin falls off the bed in a squawking, undignified heap. “Looks like you’ll be the only unmarried man in the group.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it, you smug bastard!”

* * *

Planning a wedding is honestly the worst kind of torture. Haruka didn’t – and still doesn’t – understand why so much work was necessary just to prove that he was hopelessly infatuated with Makoto and wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. He left all of the work to Makoto and only showed up to the meetings because it was expected of him.

Nothing between the two of them changed after the ceremony. Haruka only went through with it because it seemed like something Makoto really wanted. Honestly, the best part of getting married for Haruka was the knowledge that he’d _never_ have to go through with it again if he had anything to say about it.

 _So, why,_ Haruka wonders when he finds himself glaring at all too familiar fabric swatches, _is this happening to me?_

“I keep going back and forth between ivory and seashell,” Nagisa explains easily, as if he hadn’t just shown up at Haruka and Makoto’s house toting _bags upon bags_ of color swatches and magazines featuring tuxedos. “They’re both so pretty, you know? Looking at them makes me happy.”

“Hmm.” Makoto presses a curled fist to him mouth, viridian eyes darting back and forth between the papers before them. Makoto is enjoying this, Haruka knows, so that’s why he’s allowing Nagisa’s unannounced visit with little more than a sigh. “What does Rei think?”

“Oh, he’s no help,” Nagisa gripes, but he doesn’t sound particularly unhappy. Ever since Rei’s proposal, he’s been radiating happiness in a completely new way, one Haruka didn’t even think was possible. “He refuses to look at tuxes when I’m around and won’t even let me help pick out his. He wants it to be a surprise or something. And Rei-chan hates surprises!”

Makoto laughs, reaching across the table to pat Nagisa’s hand. “You’ll live, I promise. You two will only get one shot at this. I think it’s sweet Rei is taking it so seriously.”

“You should have seen him the night he proposed,” Nagisa replies, eyes taking on a slightly hazy look. This is a story Haruka has heard at least five times, and he knows exactly how it ends. But when he tries to stand from the table and make a getaway, Makoto’s pointed look keeps him rooted to his chair. “He knocked over three glasses of water, which I didn’t think was _too_ weird, but then he didn’t even put his napkin on his lap. I just _knew_ something was up. Rei-chan’s always harping at me about that.”

“Sounds like Makoto’s mom,” Haruka comments off-handedly, earning himself a sharp elbow to the side.

“I thought I was going to combust,” Nagisa continues, cheeks sporting a soft blush at the memory. “Everyone was looking at us. I just kept nodding and couldn’t even say yes properly. And then,” Nagisa smirks and glances over at Haruka, “we went back to his apartment and had _awesome_ sex. But when we woke up the next morning, we had this really strange message from Rin-chan.”

Haruka fiddles with his wedding ring, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as Nagisa and Makoto break down into a fit of giggles. “Can you maybe just… not?”

“ _Nagisaaa_ , I thought we were friends!” Nagisa wails in a poor imitation of Rin’s voice. “Do you have any idea what this has done to me? To Haru? He’s trying to make a Facebook page just to dislike your post. And there isn’t even a dislike button! He’s fighting a losing – _No_ , Haru, you can’t just put _Makoto’s trophy husband_ as your occupation, are you fucking kidding me, you’re an Olympic gold medalist for fuck’s sake!”

“Why do you have that memorized?”

“I’ve listened to it, like, fifteen times!” Nagisa cackles, and Haruka has no idea how this went from picking out colors for a tuxedo to dragging his pride through the mud. “I’ll never delete it. Ever.”

“You do know there are no dislike options on Facebook, don’t you, Haru?” Makoto asks with a smile. He’s heard this story before as well, but he’s never really commented on the more embarrassing part of the voicemail. Haruka thinks he’s just too charmed to poke fun.

“You know I have no clue how that stuff works,” Haruka grumbles. “And it was Rin’s idea to dislike the post. He sounds a lot smarter when we’re drunk.”

Nagisa leans forward in his chair, fixing Haruka with a pitiful look. “Were you really that upset that we didn’t wait for you to get back from your trip, Haru-chan?”

“In the moment, yes,” Haruka says, because he’s learned to just be truthful over the years. “But it was dumb. We’re happy for you guys. Now can we go back to the swatches, please?”

“You should re-record that voicemail and send it to me,” Makoto mock whispers to Nagisa, and Haruka drops his head onto the table in defeat.

* * *

His summers spent in Iwatobi are Haruka’s favorite part of the year. He takes a break from racing and paid appearances and just relaxes in the town he grew up in, safe and content in the old Nanase house, officially signed over to him and Makoto as a wedding gift from his parents.

Makoto teaches classes with Coach Sasabe down at the old swim club, but for the most part, he and Haruka spend their time walking along the beach, caring for the neighborhood cats, and having more sex than they do during any other time of the year.

Except for this particular summer, where they’re both busy helping Rei and Nagisa plan for their wedding. Haruka’s sex life is suffering exponentially.

Haruka spends his second Saturday back in Iwatobi with Rei, scouting potential outdoor venues for the upcoming ceremony at the end of the summer. Makoto is back at the house with Nagisa, who has temporarily moved back in with his parents so they and his sisters can help him with most of the planning. Rei remains in Tokyo for work purposes and comes down every weekend to help, but this is the first time Haruka has seen him since returning from America.

“I’m not sure about this one,” Rei says, chin in hand as he surveys the entire room. “The ceiling seems a little low.”

“The ceiling,” Haruka echoes quietly to himself, feeling half mad with exasperation.

Rei’s had similar problems with every other place they’ve visited so far. Haruka loves Rei like a brother, but he’s so very close to taking him by the shoulders and shaking until some sense is rattled into his hyperactive brain.

“I think it’s the most beautiful one we’ve visited,” Chikako says, thumbing away at her smartphone while she trails behind Rei as he wanders. “Although that’s not saying much.”

Chikako is their official wedding planner, hired from some place in Tokyo Haruka doesn’t remember the name of. She’s nice enough and certainly has more patience for Rei’s impractical concerns than Haruka does. But she treats Iwatobi like some backwater town that pales in comparison to Tokyo, and Haruka kind of wishes she would just leave the two of them to scope out places on their own.

He does have to agree with her, however. This building used to be a dance studio, although it was renovated to serve as a venue for occasions like weddings or birthday parties. With dark banisters on the ceiling, a wall lined with windows, and polished hardwood floors, it’s probably the most Western of the places they’ve visited. It makes sense that this is Chikako’s favorite place they’ve visited so far.

“What do you think, Haruka?” Rei says suddenly, spinning to face Haruka, who’s hanging back by the door in case of any… emergencies. “Do you think Nagisa would like this?”

Haruka shrugs, hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his jacket. “You could probably get married at the high school and Nagisa would like it.”

Rei nods, brow furrowed as he turns back around, deep in thought. Chikako laughs, shooting Haruka a plastic smile. She hasn’t much cared for him since he practically shoved his wedding ring into her face when they first met. Makoto thinks Haruka probably misread the situation, but Haruka still maintains that Chikako’s hand brushing his ass hadn’t been an accident. “You’re very funny, Nanase-san.”

“Yeah, that wasn’t a joke,” Haruka mutters to himself, pulling out his phone when it vibrates against his hand.

 

 **Makoto:** How’s the hunt going?

 

 **Haruka:** oh it’s going

 

“I think this is the best we’re going to get, Ryuugazaki-san,” Chikako is saying to Rei while Haruka fiddles with his phone. “If you want, I can call some people I know in Tokyo and set up a few other appointments there. I feel like we’ll have much better luck." 

“Nagisa wants to get married _here_ ,” Rei reminds her. “Iwatobi is home to us. We fell in love here.”

 

 **Makoto:** ???

 

 **Haruka:** chikako is really pushing for a wedding in tokyo. it’s getting on my nerves, I don’t know how many times Rei’s told her the wedding is going to be here

 

 **Makoto:** I think she just has different tastes than they do

 

 **Haruka:** which is weird since she’s supposed to be helping them meet their goals and not her own

 **Haruka:** but whatever. how are things with Nagisa?

 

 **Makoto:** He’s kind of freaking out about the invitations? Idk he doesn’t know how many people to invite since they don’t know where the wedding will actually be

 **Makoto:** But it’s fine, we’re handling it. Essential guests only for now!

 **Makoto:** btw you’re not just standing in the back and scowling and not being helpful are you?

 

“I understand that, but you keep saying that none of these seem right. What happens if we don’t find a place that _is_ right?”

“Then we’ll settle for one of the places we’ve already looked at.”

“You should never have to _settle_ when planning a wedding.”

 

 **Haruka:** I can’t be helpful when I don’t even know what they want

 **Haruka:** Rei’s complaining about the ceilings, Makoto. the ceilings.

 

 **Makoto:** oh gosh

 **Makoto:** we raised him to be too much of a perfectionist, Haru

 

 **Haruka:** why are you like this

 

 **Makoto:** <3

 **Makoto:** haru chan its nagisa!!!! tell rei chan to stop being a worrywart and pick the place youre at, i looked it up online and the ceilings are NOT too low if mako chan can come in and not hit his head. also you can see the ocean!!!

 

“Nagisa says to pick this place,” Haruka says, interrupting Rei and Chikako’s bickering. “The ceilings aren’t low and you can see the ocean. It’s perfect.”

“He’s easily pleased, I see,” Chikako sniffs, and Haruka has to school back his smile when Rei frowns at her, eyes narrowed behind his glasses. She can rag on Iwatobi all she wants, but she’s yet to realize that Nagisa is off limits.

 

 **Makoto:** also tell rei chan ill divorce him if he lets someone book that place before us

 **Makoto:** baby boy doesnt play

 

“Well, that settles that!” Rei declares once Haruka relays the message. “One less thing to worry about.”

Haruka breathes a sigh of pure relief, and he’s about to put his phone back in his pocket when it buzzes with another message.

 

 **Makoto:** I’m glad we just got married in our backyard. This seems like a lot of work.

 

 **Haruka:** how are you just now realizing that?

 

 **Makoto:** Idk I wasn’t nearly as stressed out while planning as Rei and Nagisa seem to be. Just listening to them talk nowadays makes me want to lie in bed and eat ice cream for a month.

 

 **Haruka:** welcome to my life

 **Haruka:** i’ve never been more grateful for how our wedding played out

 **Haruka:** really glad you’re not high-maintenance

 

 **Makoto:** One of us has to be ;P

 

Haruka doesn’t dignify that with a response.

* * *

Makoto pokes his head into the sitting room where Haruka is working on his laptop. “Hey, Haru, have you seen Ginko?”

Haruka shakes his head, scrolling through about two week’s worth of emails from his personal trainer. He hasn’t exactly been ignoring her, but he’d rather not report to her that he hasn’t been keeping up with his summer training regimen. He hears it enough from Rin whenever they talk, and Akira is an entirely different beast when she thinks Haruka’s slacking off.

“Have you checked the attic?” Haruka asks. “She gets in through that hole in the roof sometimes.”

“We really need to have that fixed,” Makoto sighs, sinking to his knees at the table opposite of Haruka and settling in. “I haven’t seen her in a few days, and I’m getting kind of worried. She’s getting pretty old. What if something happened to her?”

Ginko is one of the stray cats from the neighborhood that they’ve more or less adopted over the years. She was especially attached to Makoto back when they were in high school, and she basically moved in with them after they returned to Iwatobi after college, as if fearful that Makoto would leave again. She came and went as she pleased for a while, but since she’s gotten older, she typically stays in the house where there’s food, soft cushions to lie on, and – perhaps most importantly – Makoto.

“She’ll turn up,” Haruka says, taking in the strained expression on Makoto’s face. He’s worried about the white cat, too, but he’s more concerned about what’ll happen to Makoto if they’re never able to find her. He doesn’t think his husband could stomach not knowing for sure what happened to Ginko. “But we’ll go look around for her if she doesn’t come home by tomorrow.”

Makoto nods, taking off his glasses and setting them down on the table before rubbing at his eyes with both hands. “Ugh, I’m too exhausted for this. I was up half the night talking with Ran.”

“Boy trouble?”

“I’m going to kill that kid,” Makoto says, referring to Ran’s current boyfriend, Jun. They’ve only met him once, but there was something about him that didn’t set well with either of them. “I guess he’s been copying her homework, and the two of them both got into trouble with Amakata-sensei yesterday.”

Haruka winces. He’s twenty-four years old, seven years out of high school, and he still gets shivers down his spine when he thinks about an angry and disappointed Amakata. “Ran actually let him do that?”

“She says she didn’t know, and I believe her. But she also says that he won’t do it again, which I don’t buy for a second.” Makoto sighs, twisting his wedding ring around his finger. He only does that when he’s really stressed out. “How can I tell her to dump him without saying it flat out?”

“Want me to do it?” Haruka asks. He can deal with Ran’s teenage frustration a lot better than Makoto or his parents can. “Or I could go to him directly.”

“ _Do not_ try to intimidate high schoolers, Haru,” Makoto says, although Haruka doubts he would try to stop him if it actually came down to it. “Even if they are dishonest little twerps who take advantage of their girlfriend’s kindness.”

Haruka huffs out a laugh before he can help himself. “You know, I don’t think I’m the big brother Jun needs to worry about.”

“He better hope I never see him again,” Makoto says, and the two of them glance toward the hall when they hear the sound of the front door opening. It isn’t much of a concern – people come and go from their house all the time – but usually people call or text them first before stopping by. “Because I _will_ sit him down and let him know that this better not happen again.” 

“Ooo, who are we threatening?” Nagisa pops his head around the corner, his smile nothing short of mischievous. “Do I need to contact my yakuza connections?”

“You don’t have yakuza connections,” Haruka says, turning back to his computer.

“That you know of.” Nagisa comes into the room fully, and Haruka does a double take when he notices the white bundle in his friend’s arms. “Hey, look who I found at the bottom of the steps! I don’t think she can climb up them anymore, poor thing.”

“Give her here,” Makoto says almost desperately, putting his phone down and reaching out his arms for Ginko, who meows quietly at the sight of him. “I need to cuddle something.”

“I’m _right here_ ,” Haruka mumbles, but he’s pleased to see Ginko settle into Makoto’s arms with a soft sound that could only be described as relieved.

“Jealousy isn’t a good look,” Nagisa laughs, plopping down on the floor beside Makoto. “And you’re not exactly the most cuddly thing in the room, Olympian-san.”

Haruka scowls at Nagisa, who bursts into giggles. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going shopping with your sisters.”

“Eh, they were busy,” Nagisa says with a wave of his hand. “Mom offered to come with me instead, but shopping with her is nothing short of a nightmare. Nooo, thank you.”

“So, you come bother us instead. Makes sense.”

“Haru,” Makoto scolds, but Nagisa is unaffected by Haruka’s snide remarks, as usual.

“You’re so mean these days, Haru-chan,” Nagisa whines, but he’s smiling. “And here I came all this way to ask you to be my best man.”

Haruka’s jaw actually drops before he can stop it. “… What?”

Nagisa and Makoto exchange a mirthful glance. “Best man, Haru-chan,” Nagisa says, shooting Haruka two finger guns and winking at him. “I choose you.”

Shocked doesn’t even begin to describe how Haruka is feeling. Neither he nor Makoto had a best man – no matter how much Rin and Nagisa complained – so he kind of forgot that such a thing was expected, depending on what type of ceremony a couple had. “But… we’re Japanese.”

“Yes, Haru-chan, very astute,” Nagisa says. “You know Rei-chan and I are having a more Western-style wedding. I fought super hard for you, you know, so you aren’t allowed to say no!”

Haruka is silent. He doesn’t know what to say. Now that he’s thinking about it, his instinct is to assume that Makoto would be Nagisa’s best man and Rin would be Rei’s. The idea that anyone would ask him to fulfill a role so important is baffling, even if this _is_ Nagisa, who Haruka has known since they were children.

“Rei-chan already asked Mako-chan to be his,” Nagisa goes on to say, scratching at his cheek almost nervously. Haruka doesn’t want Nagisa to feel that way, but he still can’t seem to make a sound. “So, I could ask Rin-Rin if you really don’t want to, but… “

“Don’t worry, Nagisa,” Makoto says, scratching Ginko around the ears. His expression is unfathomably fond as he meets Haruka’s bewildered gaze. “He’s just processing.”

Nagisa takes a deep breath before fixing Haruka with an intense, unwavering stare. “I know you don’t like being singled out or gawked at beyond what’s necessary as an Olympic swimmer. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but I thought long and hard about this, and – Haru-chan, you’re a really important figure in both mine and Rei-chan’s lives, even if you don’t realize it. Neither of us would feel right if you weren’t up there with us when we got married.”

Makoto sniffs rather loudly, which is for the best, Haruka thinks, because the sound pulls him straight out of his panic spiral caused by emotions too intense to fully process. “Okay,” Haruka croaks, but it’s barely audible, so he clears his throat before trying again. “I mean, yes. I’ll… be your best man.”

Nagisa’s body sags with relief, and he flops down on the table with a low groan. “Oh, thank God, I was so scared you would refuse.”

“It would be hard to, after that,” Makoto laughs wetly, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. “When you get serious, Nagisa, you _really_ get serious.”

“Hey, I’m always serious!”

Haruka watches the two of them, still slightly out of his mind with shock but not entirely displeased with the day’s turn of events. As much as he dislikes all the effort that’s going into planning this wedding, he understands how important it is.

He remembers how enthusiastic their friends were when it came to helping plan his and Makoto’s wedding. He remembers their excitement, and he remembers their tears. If anyone was happier than he and Makoto on their wedding day, it was definitely Rei and Nagisa.

And no matter how much he gripes, Haruka finds that he desperately wants to return the favor. Nagisa and Rei are _good_. They’re family. And they deserve the best of _everything._

Makoto’s phone rings, startling Haruka enough that he bangs his knee on the underside of the table. “I’ll get it,” Nagisa says, because Makoto is still trying to dry his face and keep a hold on Ginko. He grabs the phone and taps at the screen before lifting it to his ear. “Hello, this is Nanase Makoto’s secretary speaking.”

“Oh, come on, Nagisa.”

Nagisa elbows Makoto gently before lifting his finger to his lips. “Hush, Mako-chan, I’m on the phone. Oh, hi, Akira-chan! How are you?”

Haruka shoves himself to his feet almost immediately. “I’m going for a run.”

“Haru?” Makoto yelps as Haruka quickly makes his exit. “Has Akira been trying to get a hold of you? Why is she calling _me?_ Haru!”

If there’s one thing Haruka can say about his personal trainer, it’s that she definitely knows how to motivate him during a slump. Never mind that she isn’t above fighting dirty.

* * *

“Look at them,” Rin says morosely. Haruka eyes him warily, isn’t in the mood for tears. “They’re so happy I could just die.”

“Take his glass away from him,” Haruka tells Sousuke, “I _will_ kill him if he gets any drunker.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Sousuke retorts, but he calmly reaches over and plucks Rin’s glass of wine from his hands. “You need to stop, Rin. You promised you wouldn’t drink too much.”

Rin’s reflexes are terrible in this state, so he misses entirely when he tries to snatch back his drink. “I promised no such thing. Weddings are a celebration. Celebration means alcohol. How come I’m the only one that isn’t allowed to drink?”

“Because you’re a borderline alcoholic,” Haruka says, ignoring the pleading look Makoto sends his way. “What? He is.”

“Don’t tell me looking at them doesn’t make you want to drink!” Rin exclaims, throwing his hands out in a broad gesture toward Nagisa and Rei, who are slow dancing together in the middle of the room. “Like it’s so adorable? But so sad? What the fuck, why can’t _I_ have that?”

Haruka takes a deep breath. He has no idea why Nagisa decided to put him and Makoto at the same table as Rin and Sousuke, and he wishes he would’ve put up more of a fight when he’d found out. Even after all these years, he and Sousuke tolerate each other at best, and Rin’s insufferable when it comes to comparing his relationship to those of other couples.

“Please marry him,” Haruka says to Sousuke, addressing him directly for maybe the fourth time all day, “if not for his sake, then for mine.”

“Maybe have this discussion when you’re all sober?” Makoto suggests, laying a hand on Haruka’s upper back.

Haruka turns to regard his husband and frowns. “I’m not drunk.”

“You are,” Makoto says kindly. “Just not as much as Rin.”

Rolling his eyes, Haruka turns his attention to the dance floor, where Nagisa and Rei are still absorbed in one another. He isn’t sure what Rin means when he says “sad.” Looking at the newlyweds doesn’t make Haruka sad. His heart just feels like it’s too big for his chest, and if he looks at them for too long, his eyes start to burn.

“Oh,” Haruka says as realization dawns. “I guess it is sort of sad.”

“ _See!”_

“I can’t believe these idiots have five gold medals between them,” Sousuke sighs, running a hand through his hair. “They’re like teenagers.”

Haruka doesn’t take kindly to being called an idiot, and he’s about to open his mouth and say something when Makoto grabs his hand and squeezes. “Haru,” he says, and Haruka watches his lips as they move, “you aren’t really sad, are you?”

“Kind of, but not really,” Haruka says. “I think I’m just too happy.”

Makoto laughs, the best sound Haruka’s ever heard. “You can never be too happy.”

Haruka shakes his head. “I feel like I did on our wedding day.”

Makoto blinks, and maybe it’s just the alcohol, but Haruka can’t tell what that look on his face means. “How can you be too happy at your own wedding?” Sousuke asks.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Haruka huffs. “It’s hard to speak when your chest hurts so much. I felt like a moron. I could barely get those stupid vows out.”

“Hey, I helped you with those!” Rin exclaims.

“They were stupid,” Haruka repeats. “You can’t just put how much you love someone into words like that, it’s impossible. They were… insignificant?”

“Insufficient,” Makoto supplies quietly.

“Insufficient,” Haruka concedes. “Rei crying at the alter was better than anything he could have said to Nagisa. Words can’t beat that.”

Rin hums, chin in his hand as he goes back to observing Rei and Nagisa. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I wouldn’t be able to – Sousuke, what the fuck are you doing?”

“Recording this. Because neither of you will believe me when I bring it up tomorrow.”

In that moment, Haruka realizes that Makoto’s grip on his hand has gotten pretty tight. He looks over to find his husband watching him, viridian eyes glazed yet still focused. “Makoto?”

Makoto smiles. It’s a soft, small thing, something Haruka rarely sees outside the privacy of their home. Haruka is struck with an almost maddening urge to kiss him, but he feels like if he leans over, he might fall right out of his chair.

“You’re amazing, Haru,” Makoto says. “You know that, right?”

Haruka stares at him, uncomprehending. “What did I say?”

Makoto laughs again, and Haruka lifts a hand to his chest, tries to physically stifle the ache that blooms there. “You’ll understand tomorrow, when I show you that video Sousuke just took." 

Something about this situation seems oddly familiar, but Haruka figures it’s not important. Whatever it is can’t be bad, if it makes Makoto smile like that. 


End file.
